Prime-Time Matchup
Saturday could be the day top-ranked Oak Hill Academy (Va.) gets knocked out of the No. 1 spot in the nation.

Coach Steve Smith's squad, which is loaded with future Division I players like point guard Billy Edelin (Syracuse), sharpshooter Rashaad Carruth (Kentucky) and 7-footer DeSagana Diop (undecided), will travel to Columbus, Ohio, and face No. 3 St. Vincent-St. Mary High (Ohio) in its own back yard.

	Oak Hill Academy (Va.) shooting guard Rashaad Carruth has committed to the University of Kentucky.

SVSM (9-0) is led by Lebron James, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound sophomore who is rated the top player in his class and is being looked at by nearly all the top colleges in the country.

"It's a great opportunity for our kids," says SVSM coach Keith Dambrot. "There's no question we're physically immature and that we're a year or two from being physically ready to play someone like that. But mentally we're ready.

"We're going to go to win. I'm not just playing for a moral victory."

James will have some help in the backcourt from 6-foot-2 senior Aly Samabaly, who is receiving interest from Texas Christian University, James Madison and South Alabama. But the Irish will need to keep the mammoth Diop from dominating in the middle and controlling the boards in order to come away with the upset.

If St. Vincent-St. Mary can't knock off Oak Hill (16-0), the Warriors may just run the table this season and edge out Willowridge High (Texas) for the No. 1 spot.

But Oak Hill still has to go up against No. 5 Berkshire School (Fla.), which was expelled from the Florida High School Activities Association for five years after being found guilty of recruiting violations.

Berkshire will travel to Oak Hill on Jan. 30, but playing on the road has been nothing new for the Florida school. Coach Rolando De La Barrera has set up an abbreviated schedule that involves the team travelling out of state almost every week.

"It'll prove something if we beat them, but we aren't concerned with the rankings," says Berkshire's top player, DePaul-bound small forward Quemont Greer. "Rankings are nice, but we just play hard regardless. We try to beat our opponent by as many points as possible."

Greer and his teammates are excluded from many of the national polls because Berkshire is not in the FHSAA, but the team is ranked No. 5 in the SchoolSports.com national rankings. Berkshire is 14-1 overall, with its lone setback coming against the post-grad team at Fork Union Military Academy (Va.).

Berkshire has six players who have already committed to D-I programs, including 6-foot-9 Jamal Levy (Wake Forest) and guard Duane John (Missouri).

No Patsies
St. Patrick's High (N.J.) needed overtime to edge Lawrenceville Prep, 80-77, on Tuesday night, but coach Kevin Boyle is starting to get all the pieces in place. Villanova-bound forward Marcus Austin, who missed about a month because of mononucleosis, scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds in his second game back.

No. 10 St. Patrick's will also get 6-foot-10 sophomore Grant Billmeier for its Jan. 18 game against Marist High. Billmeier, who has had to sit out because he transferred into the program after last season, is a Larry Bird-type player with a great work ethic, according to Boyle.

"We came out pretty good in Delaware (at the Slam Dunk to the Beach) without two of our best players not there," says Boyle. "It's pretty clear that when we have them, we're a top four or five team in the country. We're right there with Willowridge and Oak Hill - but I'm not saying we're better."

Boyle has gone with a three-guard lineup that includes seniors Sam Lake and Terrell Prince and sophomore Michael Narde. However, if he inserts Billmeier into the starting lineup, 6-foot-6 forward Jamie Sowers (Wichita State) will have to guard a perimeter player.

"That's something that might create a problem," notes Boyle, who admits that his team's weakness is consistent shooting from the outside.

On Fire
Camden High (N.J.) and Memphis-bound point guard Dajuan Wagner can't be stopped. In just seven games, the 6-foot-3 Wagner has eclipsed the 50-point mark four times and is averaging 44.3 points per contest for the nation's fourth-ranked team.

"He's been very dominant and has done everything for us," says Camden coach Glen Jackson. "He'd probably be averaging a lot more assists if his teammates could catch his passes better."

Jackson also dispels the myth that Wagner's defense is sub-par.

"He has all the skills to be a tremendous defensive player," says Jackson. "But at this level, you don't always want your best player guarding their best offensive player."

None Better?
Montrose Christian School (Md.) coach Stu Vetter has coached plenty of top players, including Jason Capel, Nate James and Damien Wilkins. But none of them may be in the same class as his current star, 6-foot-8 forward Levi Watkins.

"He's developed into a very complete and versatile player," says Vetter. "Right now, I wouldn't trade him for anyone in the country. He's every bit as good - if not better - than the kids I've coached before."

Watkins has a 3.8 GPA and has committed to North Carolina State. He played last season at 242 pounds and is now down to 215 pounds.

"He's really worked at it and now has a good inside-outside game and can handle the ball," adds Vetter, who has coached at Flint Hill Prep, Harker Prep and St. John's-Prospect Hall. "Now he has the true basketball body. A year ago, I never would have said that."

In other news about the school, former Montrose Christian big man Harvey Thomas, who never played a game at the Maryland school, has landed at Hamilton High (Tenn.). The Georgetown-bound senior is applying for a hardship transfer in order to become eligible for the remainder of this season. Thomas transferred from Mt. Zion Academy (N.C.) to Montrose Christian last year.

Slam Dunks
Rowlett High (Texas) 6-foot-2 senior Steffanie Blackmon tied a career high with 32 points and set a school record with 29 rebounds in a 65-64 triple-overtime loss to Mesquite High last Saturday. Blackmon, one of the top girls' basketball players in the nation, is headed to Baylor University next season. ...

Charlotte Glover recorded a quadruple-double as the Monsignor Pace High (Fla.) girls' basketball team routed Booker T. Washington High, 63-8, on Tuesday. She finished with 10 points, 15 rebounds, 12 blocks and 10 steals. ...

Speaking of quadruple-doubles, Coventry High (Ohio) senior point guard Jennifer Watson also accomplished the rare feat with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals in a win over North High. ...

Most of Willowridge High's (Texas) attention goes to guards T.J. Ford (Texas) and Daniel Ewing (Duke), but Baylor-bound shooting guard Kenny Taylor is the one with the hot hand this season. Taylor is shooting 46.3 percent from 3-point land and has made 70 trifectas so far this season. ...

Bloomington North High (Ind.) junior big man Sean May showed why he is attracting attention from UNC, Duke, Michigan State and many other top schools with a 40-point, 19-rebound performance in a win this past week. ...

Judson High (Texas) girls' basketball coach Don Evans won his 500th career game on Tuesday. He is in his 15th season at Judson and 20th overall. ...

Park Tudor High (Ind.) forward Vytas Danelius committed to Wake Forest on Wednesday. The Lithuania native chose the Demon Deacons over Notre Dame, Stanford, Nebraska and New Mexico. ...

Seton Hall Prep (N.J.) coach Bob Farrell recently got his 500th career win in his 24th season. He is 500-131 overall and 8-0 this season.